Welcome to “Pressing Questions,” Fast Company‘s mini advice column. Twice a week, Deputy Editor Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions in less than one minute.
The simplest way to think about a mentor relationship is someone whom you can ask for career advice and check in with at least semi-regularly.
A lot of people get intimidated by trying to find a formal mentorship program. While a structured program is great, if your workplace doesn’t have one and you aren’t in a position to implement one, you can still have a mentor. In fact, you might already have one without realizing it. Often these relationships come about naturally.
But if you are seeking one out, start by thinking who you already have a rapport with that you can learn from and ask if they’d like to have a brief chat or a coffee. (As little as five minutes can be helpful, as long as you know what you want to talk about.) Sometimes someone outside of your workplace can help offer better perspective.
And if you are established in your career, there’s benefits for you, too: “Reverse mentorship” can help you keep up to date on new trends.
Want some more mentorship advice? Here’s some further reading:
